The Thrifty Roadie - Tips to read and add your own!
11-20-14, 12:05 PM
#30
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Those make a decent chamois cream as well.
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"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
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"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
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Last edited by dtrain; 11-20-14 at 12:15 PM.
11-20-14, 12:09 PM
#31
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11-20-14, 12:17 PM
#32
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Ah yes, don't remind me about the relish incident. 
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"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
'14 carbon Synapse - '12 CAAD 10 5 - '99 Gary Fisher Big Sur
"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
'14 carbon Synapse - '12 CAAD 10 5 - '99 Gary Fisher Big Sur
11-20-14, 12:30 PM
#34
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Cool weather riding, but don't want to buy toe covers? Wrap your socks in plastic bags from the grocery store and trim off the excess after you put on your shoes. The plastic will block the cold air that gets through the breathable part of your shoes.
11-20-14, 12:42 PM
#35
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OK cycling is probably not terribly expensive compared to other activities, but there are LOTS of opportunities to save money. Here are a few nuggets I want to share with my fellow cheapskates, feel free to comment and/or add your own.
5. This one is more controversial, but I will include it. Buy wear-out items like tires, cassettes, and chains from UK sites like PBK. You will often get them at half what you would pay for at the LBS. The caveat is that you might get hit with a customs charge, and also you won't get ANY support, so if you need a little help changing out that chain/cassette, you probably still want to get it at the LBS so they can help you with the repairs. OTOH I have purchased GP4000s tires for well under $30 each on sale and the usa retailers (even mail order) can't match this.
That's a start.
5. This one is more controversial, but I will include it. Buy wear-out items like tires, cassettes, and chains from UK sites like PBK. You will often get them at half what you would pay for at the LBS. The caveat is that you might get hit with a customs charge, and also you won't get ANY support, so if you need a little help changing out that chain/cassette, you probably still want to get it at the LBS so they can help you with the repairs. OTOH I have purchased GP4000s tires for well under $30 each on sale and the usa retailers (even mail order) can't match this.
That's a start.
In the context of the overall bike business, the 11-speed market is infintesimally tiny; the manufacturers must recover their retooling and marketing costs, so they must charge big markups. Plus early adopter types naturally are willing to pay more for the latest schwag.
I am siphoning up 10-speed drivetrain components and shifters at big discounts, especially from the UK-based sites. I used to import almost everything from the US via Ebay. But in the last couple of years, this has become uneconomic, due to much higher shipping and so-called 'Import' charges through their 'Global Shipping Program'. I find it strange that even though I can see the US border from my window, it costs considerably more to bring in bike goods from the US than from China, Taiwan and the UK.
11-20-14, 01:15 PM
#36
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Reminds me of Tina Fey's take on Sarah Palin. That was gold.
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"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
'14 carbon Synapse - '12 CAAD 10 5 - '99 Gary Fisher Big Sur
"The older you do get, the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin', man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson
'14 carbon Synapse - '12 CAAD 10 5 - '99 Gary Fisher Big Sur
11-20-14, 03:34 PM
#40
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11-20-14, 07:19 PM
#41
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sometimes a good way to make your cycling shoes last longer is the age old trick to make any shoes keep their shape and last longer --stuff some newspaper in them. This is best done immediately after rides, esp. if they're sweated out...
also, for the cold rides in the Fall/Winter, if your toe covers aren't cutting it or you don't have any, wrapping your socks in some aluminum foil (just the front of your toes) works really well...
what else, what else...
in terms of riding fuel yeah, I think it's well known that always buying gels and power bars will wear your pockets thin pretty quick... granola bars and fruit snacks work just as well... and if you're really ambitious you can make your own rice cakes or granola bars in mass production and wrap them in foil...
when it comes to gear, don't get sold on high-priced stuff automatically... I remember when I started cycling I found some real gems in the thrift stores and i still browse thru those places to see if i find anything... sometimes they'll even have old cycling shoes for uber cheap that at the very least can be used to salvage some cleats and screws off of... sometimes you will have to invest in decent clothing.
as far as bike maintenance... I know it's controversial but, yeah, home de-greaser's and auto de-greasers are often way cheaper than the overpriced stuff at the LBS and yeah, in terms of washing your bike, dish soap with warm water is usually a pretty safe bet...
also, for the cold rides in the Fall/Winter, if your toe covers aren't cutting it or you don't have any, wrapping your socks in some aluminum foil (just the front of your toes) works really well...
what else, what else...
in terms of riding fuel yeah, I think it's well known that always buying gels and power bars will wear your pockets thin pretty quick... granola bars and fruit snacks work just as well... and if you're really ambitious you can make your own rice cakes or granola bars in mass production and wrap them in foil...
when it comes to gear, don't get sold on high-priced stuff automatically... I remember when I started cycling I found some real gems in the thrift stores and i still browse thru those places to see if i find anything... sometimes they'll even have old cycling shoes for uber cheap that at the very least can be used to salvage some cleats and screws off of... sometimes you will have to invest in decent clothing.
as far as bike maintenance... I know it's controversial but, yeah, home de-greaser's and auto de-greasers are often way cheaper than the overpriced stuff at the LBS and yeah, in terms of washing your bike, dish soap with warm water is usually a pretty safe bet...
11-20-14, 07:29 PM
#42
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Good thread. What has saved me the most money is not being on the bleeding edge of bike fads. Such as disc brakes for road bikes and 11-speed drivetrains. Both are unnecessary and expensive - just examples. For 11-speed, the cost of replacement cassettes, chainring and chains would be crazy; as I'm wearing through 4 chains per year.
11-20-14, 07:32 PM
#43
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in terms of riding fuel yeah, I think it's well known that always buying gels and power bars will wear your pockets thin pretty quick... granola bars and fruit snacks work just as well... and if you're really ambitious you can make your own rice cakes or granola bars in mass production and wrap them in foil...
Kinlin rims, Taiwan hubs. You can ride killer wheelsets for $200 in parts.
11-20-14, 08:36 PM
#45
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In cold weather, cocoa is a better idea because the caffeine in coffee constricts the blood vessels - once the warmth of the liquid is (quickly) dissipated, you'll get chilled even faster and have a harder time getting and staying warm.
11-20-14, 08:40 PM
#46
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PLOS ONE: No Evidence of Dehydration with Moderate Daily Coffee Intake: A Counterbalanced Cross-Over Study in a Free-Living Population
11-20-14, 08:47 PM
#47
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When stuff gets scuffed/scratched: instead of being a metrosexual consumerist tool and replacing things with only cosmetic damage to impress the weekend warrior homies, keep using them as long as they still perform their intended function. Also, ride old steel 5 speed grandpa bikes and push harder rather than upgrade to that new fangled 6 speed tech.
11-20-14, 10:28 PM
#48
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For just about all my rides I drink ... water. Free out of the tap. If we want a "sports drink" Rowan mixes up a batch of his magic potion (mainly maltodextrin). You can pick up maltodextrin from a beer and wine-making shop for next to nothing.
And as for food ... cookies or granola bars (usually picked up on sale). I haven't eaten an "energy bar" in years.
But we did get some free gels at our most recent event.
And as for food ... cookies or granola bars (usually picked up on sale). I haven't eaten an "energy bar" in years.
But we did get some free gels at our most recent event.
Dr Lim's rice cakes are another great snack to have that is cheap. i can make 9 servings with 1c calrose rice and 1 apple. bit of cinnamon and brown sugar. I used them on my 2 centuries this year along with some gel and it was perfect.
I think i'd rather go for restaurant jelly packets than ketchup
11-20-14, 10:29 PM
#49
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I used to ... and then all of a sudden one year, I didn't anymore. I'm not sure what changed.
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11-20-14, 11:37 PM
#50
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All I know is that judging by what I have spent since getting back into riding in Sept.
I am doing it wrong.
But I think my Track pump, Chainwasher, and Park PCS-10 will start to pay for them selves soon.
Also I am running Canari Bright yellow jerseys, from Academy and they are working well.
And I will get a pair of Thermogard cloves from work (they prefer us to use safety gear offsite too)
I had a set of metric Hex wrenches from a cheap socket set I got for Christmas last year, that live in my saddle bag and have handled all my bike adjustment needs, probably need 2 screwdrivers as well.
But I got the Domane on clearance for $400 off, so there is that, but Shoes, Lights, and Pedals I did not cheap out on.
I am doing it wrong.
But I think my Track pump, Chainwasher, and Park PCS-10 will start to pay for them selves soon.
Also I am running Canari Bright yellow jerseys, from Academy and they are working well.
And I will get a pair of Thermogard cloves from work (they prefer us to use safety gear offsite too)
I had a set of metric Hex wrenches from a cheap socket set I got for Christmas last year, that live in my saddle bag and have handled all my bike adjustment needs, probably need 2 screwdrivers as well.
But I got the Domane on clearance for $400 off, so there is that, but Shoes, Lights, and Pedals I did not cheap out on.